You turn on your computer only to see it freeze at the manufacturer’s splash screen (Dell, HP etc. logo) and some boot options with the progress bar only at the very start. Nothing happens after that no matter what you do with the mouse or keyboard. The same thing happens even after you decide to do a hard shutdown and turn it off as a last resort. Your thoughts go between the dread of lost data and the price tag of a new computer.

As it turns out, the problem was a faulty keyboard which is a very easy and inexpensive fix for what seemed to be a pretty bad computer situation. If you end up with the frozen screen described above, try unplugging the keyboard from the computer and try rebooting again. (or better yet, plug in another keyboard if you have one) If your computer moves further in the booting process and then shows a message that says “keyboard error” then there is a good chance that your issue is simply a faulty keyboard because that error message now means it is looking for a keyboard and cannot find it where before it was freezing before it got to that point. Plug in a working keyboard and if the keyboard was the issue it will boot normally now.

CCleaner is a very helpful product that I have used and recommended for years. It is the best way to easily rid your computer of the unnecessary junk files that build up over time as you browse the internet and install and uninstall programs or updates. This junk that builds up can drastically slow down your computer if you don’t delete it. CCleaner helps you do that easily and regularly. It also includes the only registry cleaner that I trust. CCleaner has a free version, but the pro-version of CCleaner takes out the guess work out of knowing when you need to run it and automatically updates itself, so that is an option many people prefer. Right now the Pro-version is being offered 50% off the normal price. It normally sells for $24.95, but until October 4, they are offering it for $12.50. Click here or on the graphic to the left to purchase CCleaner today!

The Computer Monkey is an authorized reseller of Malwarebytes Premium. Malwarebytes Premium is an outstanding product for preventing and removing malware infections. Go to the bottom of this page for purchasing information. If you have completed your purchase of malwarebytes, the following instructions show how to change or activate your product using your new license key.

Open Malwarebytes using the icon on your desktop or in the notifications area of your computer desktop. Or use Finder to locate Malwarebytes on a Mac.

2. Click on “My Account” which will take you to the Account Details tab. Then click “Change License Key”

3. Accurately enter your new license key and click “Activate License” and you are finished. You can now close Malwarebytes.

I am a big fan of Anker products. They have reliable products that meet a variety of charging needs at decent prices. The prices today, however, are especially nice as is detailed in this article from PC World.

Forget about Christmas in July. This year, you can save big with Black Friday in July. Amazon Prime Day kicks off on July 16 , and the retailer’s warming up for the blowout by offering some steep deals leading up to the event. Today, you can snag all manner of Anker’s popular chargers, cables, and portable batteries at mostly unheard-of savings.

Apple has released iOS 11.4.1, which offers fixes for some bugs, as well as USB Restricted mode. If you are unsure how to update your device. iMore gives good step-by-step instructions in the link below:

Last summer, after our “cord-cutting” experience, many of my friends suggested that The Computer Monkey should offer cord-cutting services. Due to the varied and unique nature of people’s audio-visual equipment and needs, I had no desire to do that, but I did create a post about our experience to help others who might be thinking about cutting the cord themselves. Recently, someone who appreciated that post contacted me. No doubt there are many others with similar questions so I turned the questions and my answers into a post.

Without cable what option does one have to receive local news, an antenna?

How do we watch our favorite cable shows like the ones offered from Food Network, DIY, HGTV, History Channel etc? Is there a way to watch reruns?

In order to watch other cable shows you need two things: a device and a service. The device is a physical piece of equipment that connects to your TV and audio visual equipment that allows you access to the service of your choice which provides the shows. Just like if you have subscribe to Netflix, you have to have some device that lets you open the Netflix app. Most of the streaming services have several packages to choose from so you can see what channels each one offers. This article covers the Top 10 Streaming Services. See the chart below to help determine which product is a device and which is a service. One important factor to consider when choosing a service is whether live content is available. For example, there are some services that may claim to have the Fox News Channel, but they may only have certain shows from it available after they air, not the actual live broadcast. Most of the services offer “DVR” service so that you can “record” your favorite shows to watch at your convenience. I used quotes because they do not actually record your shows they simply give you access to them when you want them. Finally, most of the services offer trials, so be sure to try before you buy.

My husband is a huge sports fan, where do we watch live sports without cable?

Many live sporting events are available over the broadcast channels. For ESPN, ESPN U, FS1 etc. you will need a streaming service that offers the channels you need.

Do you need a device like a Firestick or Roku for each TV and is there a streaming subscription fee for each?

Yes, you need a device to deliver the service to each TV but the streaming service typically is for your household. There could be some limits on how many devices can run the streaming service at one time but that varies by service. On your main TV you will probably want a more feature-rich device like a Roku Ultra or Amazon FireTV, on lesser used TV’s you could certainly use a Roku Stick or Amazon Firestick.

In our case, we saved about $100 per month from what we had been paying with cable TV — even more if you consider what our bill would have been after the $3.00 monthly fee for each digital converter box that was going to be required for every TV we had. Please comment below with other questions and I will try to answer them.

Chances are that if your computer runs Windows 10 then you have had a major update in the last few weeks. According to AdDuplex, over 50% of Windows 10 devices have received the 1803 update worldwide, which is significantly faster than the major fall update took. Based on anecdotal and professionally documented information, it is also more likely that you would have had some problems after this update which does not appear to be as “issue-free” as the major update that came out last fall. Not all of the issues are errors, but some are simply changes that may cause difficulty or a learning curve for some users such as the first one in the list regarding the removal of the Homegroup feature. Additionally, listed below are some of the known issues people have experienced. If you are experiencing problems after the update but you are still able to use your computer, check frequently for updates that may come available that will hopefully address some of those problems. If you have problems that cannot wait for an update and you need help resolving them please schedule an appointment.

Some of the most common 1803 update issues and some of the changes to features:

Problems with printers that can be corrected by uninstalling and reinstalling the printer driver

Networking issues where shared computers or devices are no longer visible on the network (even on networks where the Homegroup feature was not in use)

Just in time for the release of the Windows 10 Spring Creators update, Microsoft announced that 90 percent of the computers running Windows 10 have been updated with the Fall Creators update that was released in the fall of 2017. AdDuplex.com compiled the Windows 10 data into some interesting graphs. In addition to the graph used in this post, you can visit their page to see the Windows 10 Fall Creators update manufacturer breakdown, the deployment timeline and more. No other update has been deployed so rapidly, but since updates are not really optional it makes sense. Having so many users updated to the latest version helps with security issues and benefits the Windows 10 community of users over all. The more users there are on a version, the more that version get “tested” which flushes out bugs that need to be addressed. Look for the Spring Creators update to roll out next month which will hopefully address some those aforementioned issues.

There are times when even The Computer Monkey needs computer support. I began using Microsoft 365 Business last year and it has been one of the best decisions I have made for improved productivity and work flow. The integration with an existing website domain for email can be a little complicated especially if you are not that familiar with MX records and behind-the-scenes website functions — of which I know a lot more than the average bear, but that’s about it. There have been a few times that I have had to contact Microsoft 365 Business Admin support and the service has been outstanding. The process to submit a request for them to call me is simple and well integrated with the product. I was even able to upload screenshots or other documentation of the issue so that they had clear information about the problem before they called me back, typically within a few minutes. The support people I spoke with were very knowledgeable and were able to resolve my issue quickly and completely.

I often have to work with support staff on behalf of my customers if it is an issue that must involve a manufacturer due to warranty etc. One of my pet peeves is when I submit detailed information in an email or chat window and the response that comes back makes it very clear that they have not really read the information I have given (after the obligatory auto-response that they received my email and will respond within 24 hours). With Microsoft 365 Business Admin support that annoying experience has not occurred. The Computer Monkey is not a big enough fish to be a reseller for Microsoft so this post is not self serving. I make it a practice to provide and extol excellent service and Microsoft definitely gets it right here.

Microsoft has announced the release of the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update which will be rolled out to Windows 10 users next month. The version number of the April 2018 update is 1803. The update will take several weeks to reach all Windows 10 customers. You will probably notice once your computer has been updated, but if you want to see what version of Windows 10 you are using, right click the start button, then System >About and scroll down to the bottom of the screen to see your Windows Specifications.